Trouble logging in?If you can't remember your password or are having trouble logging in, you will have to reset your password. If you have trouble resetting your password (for example, if you lost access to the original email address), please do not start posting with a new account, as this is against the forum rules. If you create a temporary account, please contact us right away via Forum Support, and send us any information you can about your original account, such as the account name and any email address that may have been associated with it.

What the SPARTAN-IV program brings to the table is not so much new physical capabilities or whatever, but cost-effectiveness and the removal of age constraints for the medical treatment.

It allows the UNSC to create SPARTANs without having to go through all the long and expensive trouble of SPARTAN-II and ONI no longer has to kidnap children around the galaxy: this time they can recruit adults directly from the Marines/ODST and upgrade their bodies to SPARTAN level. This theoretically allows a far greater and more affordable production of SPARTAN soldiers, compared to SPARTAN-II and -III.

And the improvements made in the production process for the Spartan IIs and Spartan IIIs will go a long way for the Spartan IVs--the Spartan IIIs in the Reach underwent the same augmentations as the Spartan IIs because they were able to improve the process and eliminate some of the risks. I imagine the Spartan IVs will also benefit from such a procedure.

And the improvements made in the production process for the Spartan IIs and Spartan IIIs will go a long way for the Spartan IVs--the Spartan IIIs in the Reach underwent the same augmentations as the Spartan IIs because they were able to improve the process and eliminate some of the risks. I imagine the Spartan IVs will also benefit from such a procedure.

The SIII program could be seen as an experiment in improving the enhancement methods to the point where you could start mass production. That's really has been the trick with all later iterations of the Spartan program.

Spartan II
-Required young candidates, with a LUDICROUSLY high selective criteria, only half of candidates survived surgery

A better way to look at the Spartan Program is as a continuum of the same R&D project. They came up with a fully functional working prototype, they just needed to figure out how to economically mass produce it.

Mind, according to super mad scientist Halsey, many of the SII's allegedly had unusual genetic characteristics. Master Chief is apparently genetically predisposed to be lucky.

What gave the Spartan-IIs their apparent superiority is their genes, actually. Due to the strict adherence for candidates that Halsey kept to, all of the Spartan-IIs had "perfect" genes and those genes allowed their augmentations to be much, much more powerful. For example, as stated in Ghosts of Onyx, the augmentation that would've given a Spartan-II a 300% increase in their reflexes instead gave them a 1400% increase due to their genes.

Furthermore, it would seem that Noble Team, despite being made up mostly of Spartan-IIIs, still fulfilled the perfect gene requirements within the looser selection criteria. As a result, their enhancements ended up being on par with a Spartan-IIs, which is why they're as capable as any of the Spartan-IIs. It also appears that as they age and their bodies become more and more used to the augmentations they'll grow more powerful, so the older Spartan-IIIs would've likely been as good as the Spartan-IIs had they survived and matured into adulthood.

That's going to play a factor in the development of the newer Spartan-IVs, I imagine, as all of those candidates are adults, like the Spartan-Is. So their bodies likely wouldn't have as much time to adapt to the augmentations, unlike the older Spartan-IIs and Spartan-IIIs (since they want the survivors to join the ranks of the Spartan-IVs in the program).

Despite the Spartan III and IV high mass production of numbers, I think the Spartan II are superior in combat due to training at a young age.

On a man to man basis? Sure.

Of course it also helps to remember that the 150 or so candidates they picked out for the SII program were basically freaks in terms of mental/physical ability. Basically prodigy children who were also at the extreme end of the physical growth curb (140 centimeters tall at age 6).

The first casualty of the Spartan program was actually one of the HTH combat instructors who got his spine snapped in half accidentally by a ten year old girl.

That said. There IS something to be said about the UNSC to be truly able to mass produce Spartan IV's. Baseline humans just can't go toe to toe with allot of alien species in close combat. Having a large number of soldiers that can do that is certainly a boon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rising Dragon

Furthermore, it would seem that Noble Team, despite being made up mostly of Spartan-IIIs, still fulfilled the perfect gene requirements within the looser selection criteria. As a result, their enhancements ended up being on par with a Spartan-IIs, which is why they're as capable as any of the Spartan-IIs. It also appears that as they age and their bodies become more and more used to the augmentations they'll grow more powerful, so the older Spartan-IIIs would've likely been as good as the Spartan-IIs had they survived and matured into adulthood.

At least certain ones would. Like the ones that Kurt ferried off to his private his teams that met the genetic criteria that Halsey set up for the S2 program.

What gave the Spartan-IIs their apparent superiority is their genes, actually. Due to the strict adherence for candidates that Halsey kept to, all of the Spartan-IIs had "perfect" genes and those genes allowed their augmentations to be much, much more powerful. For example, as stated in Ghosts of Onyx, the augmentation that would've given a Spartan-II a 300% increase in their reflexes instead gave them a 1400% increase due to their genes.

Furthermore, it would seem that Noble Team, despite being made up mostly of Spartan-IIIs, still fulfilled the perfect gene requirements within the looser selection criteria. As a result, their enhancements ended up being on par with a Spartan-IIs, which is why they're as capable as any of the Spartan-IIs. It also appears that as they age and their bodies become more and more used to the augmentations they'll grow more powerful, so the older Spartan-IIIs would've likely been as good as the Spartan-IIs had they survived and matured into adulthood.

That's going to play a factor in the development of the newer Spartan-IVs, I imagine, as all of those candidates are adults, like the Spartan-Is. So their bodies likely wouldn't have as much time to adapt to the augmentations, unlike the older Spartan-IIs and Spartan-IIIs (since they want the survivors to join the ranks of the Spartan-IVs in the program).

Well I give them that, but the Spartan II is still certainly better since they been in combat a lot more. Spartan III and IV will certainly get there, but only in due time with combat experience.

Spartan I
The program involved adult volunteers where they underwent some sort of genetic enhancements. Whatever it was it was successful enough to set the foundation for the Spartan II project.

The volunteers involved in the Spartan I project went on with their lives and eventually had kids and if I recall correctly those kids inherited it and were ideal for the Spartan II program.

Spartan II
Program includes volunteer children on a very selective basis with genetic enhancements but also includes expensive equipment, enough to fund an entire battlefleet. Many die due to the augmentations

Spartan III
Program takes orphans from wherever they can find them. Jackson stated that the medical advances since that time allows them to literally ensure a 100% success rate regardless of the pool. The equipment on the other hand is a cheaper and weaker as it lacks shielding. On the other hand the III's are more than capable of taking on elites in hand to hand combat. Essentially a limited mass production model.

Spartan IV
Program involves adult volunteers and I'm guessing as others have stated the same enhancements which they can now do with a 100% success rate on adults instead of children. With the collection of new forerunner equipment I am assuming that their equipment would be on par with the Spartan's II but I could be wrong.

IMO the Spartan II's are one of the best due to being given the best of the best the UNSC could afford at the time. Spartan IV on the other hand have the advantage of using the newest technology based on Forerunner tech if the novels are to follow.

We can argue a lot of which Generation of Spartans were better in terms of different categories. Still if you had to pit a single Spartan II against another of any generation, who would come out on top will be the final answer. Equipment does matter, but experience and training is worth a lot more which the Spartan II have more than any of the other Generation.